I've
1 Americansuffix
-
(forming adjectives) indicating a tendency, inclination, character, or quality
divisive
prohibitive
festive
massive
-
( forming nouns of adjectival origin )
detective
expletive
contraction
Usage
See contraction.
Etymology
Origin of -ive
< Latin -īvus; in some words, representing French -ive, feminine of -if
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“It’s a little different. I ain’t played for two years, so I’ve got to watch the film, see what I did good, see what I did wrong and clean it up.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
“Every song feels different. It’s like every feeling I’ve ever felt condensed into 13 songs,” Lo said, in between sips of her iced tea.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
Speaking on the steps of the Senedd in Cardiff on Monday, Farage said: "I've known Helen for many, many years. She is a determined campaigner."
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
Now I’ve lived long enough to have watched it go from an obscure grape pushed by cool-kid sommeliers to something that’s found on most shop shelves and wine lists in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
I don’t know what numbers will be called in next week’s lotto; I’ve no idea who’ll win the Super Bowl or when Rihanna’s gonna grace us with new music.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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What should be done with the terminations -able, -ible, -tion, -cial, -tive, -ive, and -sion?
From Division of Words Rules for the Division of Words at the Ends of Lines, with Remarks on Spelling, Syllabication and Pronunciation by Frederick W. (Frederick William) Hamilton
In Shakespeare many adjectives, especially those ending in -ful, -less, -ble, and -ive, have both an active and a passive meaning.
From The New Hudson Shakespeare: Julius Cæsar by Ebenezer Charlton Black
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.